Keeping a food diary is an effective weight-loss tool because it allows you to reflect on what you’ve eaten over the course of a day and identify trends and patterns that you can change. But a picture is worth a thousand words, right? It may be even more effective to document your diet in color.

Photos cannot give people selective memory. They do not forget about that dollop of sour cream or misjudge portion sizes. Photos keep us honest. That is why photographing your food puts your diet into focus.

A study published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies found that a photo food diary kept for one week was even more effective than a traditional food diary in encouraging people to change their eating habits. Having that short pause to take the picture also gives you the opportunity to change your behavior. And the photo is a pretty graphic reminder of any mistakes. Besides, it’s easier now than ever – your cell phone is with you everywhere you go.

Photograph everything you eat for one week, and then take some time and scroll through the photos. Look carefully at portion sizes, and see if you can associate certain times of day or more stressful times of the week with food choices you might make differently next time.